Siak Christmas with John and Sandra.

We had the privilege of hosting John and Sandra's Siak Christmas at our house in early December. It was a blast. Friday night John and Sandra watched the kids so we could go to our annual adult Christmas party with friends. That morning we woke up with some of the cousins and made Christmas trains at lowes. It was a beautiful day outside, so the kids got to practice some redneck snow-less sledding down the hill :). And we got to celebrate with mark as he graduated that day from unc-c with his masters degree!

What do you do when you've disappeared for a bit...

You go through you phone and find random pictures to do a quick recap!

Halloween. Luke was lightening McQueen. The older two refused to dress up, but still expected candy :)

Bekah came up the first weekend in November and spoke at dads church. It was soooo good to have Sister time!

Progress reports: nailed it. 

Matt got to go on a field trip with Ella on her actual birthday to the NC zoo!

JM came up for a weekend. 

Luke is still mastering his selfie skills on the iPad. 

We all went out to dinner to celebrate matts birthday the day before thanksgiving. 

We hosted all the Scoggins for thanksgiving at our house!

Noah and matt took a few selfies with my phone. 

Luke hung out. 

We all. Everyone of us. At some point between my last post and today, suffered through the flu. But we survived!!!

And we are gearing up for Christmas!  

I cannot guarantee the frequency of my posts, but I hope to do better. Mainly for my people. The older ones love to look through the posts of days gone by. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall photos with Soulshine Photography

We had the blessing of having Sarah Jacobs with Soulshine Photography take our fall photographs in October.  They turned out more beautifully than I could've dreamed!  I love every one of them, and am going to break the bank with obnoxiously large prints :)  I am so thankful for Sarah's talent.  How she has taken me under her wing in my own photography business.  She's encouraged me and helped me to grow.  

Finally

This weekend. This long awaited weekend. I've dreamed so often in my 11 years of parenting that one day, they might be closer. Because of the distance, they have had to miss so much. Birthday parties, singing in church, the big things and little things...  At the same time I have watched my fathers ministry in opelika grow. I've watched God use him in so many ways. Knowing they were right where God needed them to be.  They developed some pretty special friendships along the way - people we've all grown to love. 

But this morning, as I sat beside my sister and our spouses, and of course mom, first baptist church Hendersonville voted to have dad return as senior pastor. And I am so excited. 

I want my children to see the legacy that is being left for them. To witness my father preach live, on a much more frequent basis. I want them to bake cookies with mom while wearing those ridiculous aprons she saved from our childhood. And so very much more. This weekend means so much. 

My heart aches for the people of opelika who will be losing their pastor. But just as God orchestrated these current days He will orchestrate their future. 

I am thankful. Full to the brim with joy. 

Joy

We've had a couple of pretty big bumps in the road the past few weeks. 

I was sitting on the porch, the kids were spying while matt and I were laughing and trying to steal away just a minute together, when it dawned on me, through it all, we have joy. 

I am so thankful for my

Marriage. For the blessing it is to go to bed and wake up beside Matt Siak. This week as we have been forced to deal with emotions we don't usually have to tackle, he has stepped up and met my every need. This month we celebrate 15 years since our first date. 15 years I've loved him. 15 years of knowing him. If I could go back and tell that naive girl long ago just how good she would have it, I don't think I would've believed myself. 

Today I am thankful for him. I am blessed to have him. My children are blessed to get to call him daddy. 

And this joy that is the thread that constantly weaves in and out of our days no matter the circumstance, I am most thankful for that. 

This week.

I spent $48 in pregnancy tests buying one of every brand just because I couldn't believe you were really in there. 

You made me really sleepy and crave salty things. Which made me go up a pant size pretty quickly - but I didn't mind because it was for you, right?  

Your brothers and sister were so excited that you would one day join us. I imagined you never learning to crawl or walk because they would always be holding you. 

I had a dream you were a boy and I was going to name you Jude. After matt heard a random sermon written out of Jude - We agreed That had to be your name. 

You only lived in my belly for 9 weeks. We saw your perfect, quiet body on Wednesday. Just that sweet little body. The doctor said it appeared your little heart had stopped beating within the previous 48 hours. Your soul had already left to be with Jesus.  Friday I experienced my first D&C (our other losses were through natural

Miscarriage).  Today, I am resting at home, with a belly full of sweet treats from my ladies and the peace of being surrounded by my family.

We are thankful for you. We love you. And we can't wait to see your face one day in heaven, our sweet child.

Matt and I are already experiencing the knitting together of healing

In our hearts. I have had so many people rally around me who have traveled in these shoes I walk in this week. Without them to answer my questions, calm my fears, prayers, and standing by me, this journey would have been harder. If you go through this or something similar, don't be afraid to speak out. To ask for help and seek out people who have gone through this topic so rarely talked about. You are not alone. Grace is there.

Healing comes. And heaven will be just that much sweeter one day. 

 

The very first day - 2014

It's that time of year again.  My people have gone on the new adventure of a new school year.  I am SO thankful that the kids got the teachers they wanted.  They have great friends at PG Elementary, and my older ones love to learn.  Luke is embarking on new territory, preschool.  We have high hopes for him as he tries out this whole organized, group setting, do what you are told stage of life, or at least we have high hopes for Mrs. Dawn to teach him those things (haha!).  Pray along with us for their teachers, and for them to be a light at their schools everyday to their friends!

Ella Grace - 2nd grade, age 7. 

Teacher: Mrs. Burnett.

Loves: fashion, art, playdates with her friends, and dolls

Dislikes:  School cafeteria food, cleaning out her closet.

Noah:  5th grade, age 10.

Teacher:  Mrs. Helms.

Loves:  anything ipad related, his cousins, music, his room clean, Dr. Pepper.

Dislikes: household chores, when his parents try to "act cool".

Luke: McSmiles preschool, age 3.

Teacher:  Mrs. Dawn

Loves: everything.

Dislikes: naptime and pooping on the potty.

The biggest decision of her life.

For the past year Matt and I have had the opportunity to witness God moving in our girls heart.  About a year ago she started asking questions about baptism.  We sought counsel from our Children's minister who told us, "she's not there yet, but she's close."  Over the next months we answered her questions.   And at the end of July the big questions came.  A sermon she had heard stirred in her heart.  She came in to our room at 9 that evening and told Matt and I she wanted to make a U-turn with her life.  She wanted to become a Christian.  Over the next week we intentionally hard core discipled her thanks to some resources Josh gave us (we highly recommend I'm a Christian Now for kids).  And one evening that week it all clicked, she prayed, and asked Jesus into her heart.  

We are so proud of everything that makes you you, Ella Grace.  And so eternally grateful that we will be together in heaven.  We pray that God will use you to do great things to further His kingdom.  We are thankful you are ours. 

Sunday night she was baptized at Carson's Chapel creek.  It was such a special time.  These are the photos I snapped while it was happening:  

(It was COLD!!)

A quick Cagle visit!

The passing of my grandfather has allowed me to reconnect with several of my distant cousins on grandaddys side. This past weekend, Allen and his family came and stayed with us for an evening. It was so good getting to see them, meet the rest of his family, and watch our kids play together!

We discovered, Allen and I are first cousins once removed. And our children are second cousins once removed. That discovery came after much studying of charts on the internet between Allen and Matt. We've decided to drop all the removed junk from our titles, and just call ourselves "cousins."  :)

All good things.

All good things must come to an end. And with this crazy non stop raining we've decide to go back to Marion a day early (tomorrow). But we are so thankful for all we've experienced this week as a family. And incredibly thankful that my uncle and aunt let us stay at this place that means so much to me. Taking a moment - or 5 days - to let the world quiet down and just love on your people. It's the greatest blessing. What an amazing summer we have had. 

We played in Unicoi state park. 

Ella took a picture by a bear. 

We saw the coolest, most intricate train display. Luke's favorite thing. 

Papa treated us to dinner and some good old fashioned spoiling. 

Mom and I hit the outlets!

We hiked to Anna ruby falls and there wasn't too much complaining!

We took the kids bowling for the first time ever. 

Matt wore this hat. 

Luke kept it real. 

The waitress gave me a coke with my name on it!